I know that a lot of you out there are already planning ahead for next year.
If you aren’t registered with an umbrella/independent school for homeschooling, you are required to submit a letter of intent to homeschool to your local school district if you plan to homeschool your children. As I’ve received several questions on this matter, I created a sample Notice of Intent to Homeschool form that you can download and use for your own family.
–> Download the Notice of Intent to Homeschool Form <–
(This form is in MS Word format and is editable so you can insert your family’s information)
What are the notification requirements?
Requirements will vary by state, however most states require that you submit a notice of intent to homeschool to any school district in your state. The notice must be sent for any student between the ages of 6 and 16, including children who will be 6 by August 1st.
There is typically not a deadline for the notice of intent to be sent in, however it is required that the letter be filed with your school district at least 14 days prior to the start of your homeschool year. This means you do not have to file before the start of the local public school year, but 14 days prior to the start of your own homeschool year.
A notice of intent is also typically required to be re-submitted annually for each year that you plan to homeschool.
What should be included in the notice?
- Child’s Name
- Child’s Age
- Child’s Residence
- Hours of Attendance (For most states this should be 4 hours per day & 172 days per year)
What are the testing requirements?
Testing requirements vary by state as well, but most states require that you test or evaluate your students’ academic progress at grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Testing should be administered by a certified evaluator using a nationally standardized achievement test. Test scores are then sent to your local public school district OR to an independent school. You can visit my “Homeschool Testing” post for more details on how testing works. As always please refer to the testing requirements outlined by your specific state for complete information.
Where can I get more information?
- The internet! A simple Google search for “your state + homeschool law” will give you most of the answers you need for your state. If you have more questions, you can also call your local public school district offices.
- www.hslda.org (Home School Legal Defense Association) is a nonprofit agency established to help the constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children and protect family freedoms. They have a lot of information regarding homeschooling help.
As always, you will need to contact your state for current homeschool laws and requirements, but I hope this post helps you get started!
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, nor is this post to be construed as legal advice. For homeschooling laws and requirements for your state, please contact your state’s department of education.
For residents of New Jersey, nothing needs to be done if you are homeschooling. There is no testing requirement and no tracking of education. All I did was call my son’s elementary school and told them he would not be attend and they said “ok” and that was that.
This is so true lol, my daughters school told me ok its your problem then 🙂
hi im new tio this and live in nj….is it true i do not need to send letter of intent??
You technically do not, but it will save you problems and annoyance if you do.
True, I knew more about NJ because of this website then the school did. http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/faq/faq_homeschool.htm
I currently live in South Jersey and I am very new to this! Are there any links that you ladies could share for support groups and just general ideas of things I should know? I am going to be using a few programs and since my son in finishing up Kindergarten there are tons of options. Thanks 🙂
Hi Ashley!
Im in Central Jersey and looking into homeschooling. Is this your first year doing it?
Christina
Hi! This comment was very helpful! I have a question, though… My daughter is at the end of her 4th grade year in public school. She’s gone to public school since she was 3. She and I recently decided that starting in 5th grade, she will be home-schooled. Does anyone know if I need to formally ‘pull her out’ of her school before homeschooling her next year?
Hi Serena,
Yes you’ll probably need to send in a Notice of Intent form to your local school district. You’ll want to check with your current school district to see what they require though as states can differ.
Nc requires Notice of intent to be submitted to the NC Department of non public education 🙂 they have a simple form on their website as well as the required attendance sheet. 🙂
Kentucky also has no real requirement. You must submit a letter just stating you will be homeschooling with the childs name to the director of personnel at the school board. No testing, no number of hours.
We are relocating to KY in the very near future and our kids aren’t quite school age yet, but this is helpful to know! My husband said he heard there is a good homeschool network there, too?
I live in Kentucky and it’s required that you send in your letter of intent to homeschool within two weeks of the start of the school year with the child (s) names, ages, and address.
You have to keep attendance register, sample work, and scholarship reports.
Teach the following subjects: Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammer, Math & Civics.
Attend your homeschool 175 days for 6 hours a day. (instructional days)
For more go to HSLDA.org
There are also great support groups in Kentucky.
Is the letter of intent required in KY if you are registered under an umbrella school?
Hi Sherry, each state is different so I would contact your umbrella school and ask them. They should know what they’re required to send in.
In MN you don’t have to submit something until your child is 7 and then there is a great form on the MACHE website — http://www.mache.org that is great to fill out the first time. After that they have another very simple form to use for people who are planning to continue. We are required to test our children over 7 every year but don’t have to submit the results to the school district. No hour requirements or report cards to submit to the school district.
Anyone interested in homeschooling should definitely check with their own state homeschooling organization for the details about the requirements for their state as every state is different!
In Indiana no notice of intent is required. Under Indiana law, a parent is required to maintain attendance records “solely to verify the enrollment and attendance of the particular child.” parents only need to provide this upon request of the state superintendent or superintendent of your local school corporation only.
GA requires LOI and if you are in Cobb county they have a separate homeschool office at the Superintendent’s office. SUPER easy and wonderful to work with. They do require testing every 3 years starting at 3rd grade. There policy on testing is if you qualify as a tester you can administer to your own children. I am certified through BJU Press. I found this helpful in the early years to get my children used to the process so that when they are tested through a testing sight it would not be so stressful.
For RI, they ask for more in some ways. A LOI but also a list of curriculum. We have the right to homeschool but the school board has to approve our plan. Every district handles things a little different and some are easier than others to work with. Testing isn’t required but some type of evaluation is.
I do personally recommend HSLDA as a resource. They have helped me on more than one occasion navigate the requirements.
Thank you for posting this! I LOVE to see what others send in to their school districts. I did want to add though that in NY, we are required to be in school for 180 days, but we are not required to put the hours of attendance in our Letter of Intent. The hours and days are accounted for in our quarterly reports.
Illinois does not require any notice of homeschooling.
I am wanting to pull my child asap. What am I supposed to do if i am not required to give a letter of intent?
In CA you have to file a PSA online with the state. You don’t notify your local school district. I’m moving to FL though in a couple months and I think something like this is required.
And this only for children in 1st grade or higher.
I just found your blog, and love all the helpful tips, thank you!